Carefree - Pastor Jeremy Duxfield

Welcome to the World Changers Church Gold Coast Podcast. Join us as we listen to today's message. Hallelujah. It's so good. How beautiful it is when the brethren dwell together in unity, hey? Amen. So beautiful. So beautiful. Before I get started, I just wanna give honour to Pastor Tina, our senior pastor. Thank you, Pastor Tina, for your faithfulness to serve and to come here and move your family across the world to plant this church here. And we're all partaking of the fruit of your labour. So we thank you. And Pastor Kyle, obviously, who's here. I spoke to him this morning and he said, don't burn the place down, but that's okay. I say, unless it's the fire of the Holy Spirit, brother, we ain't burning this place down, man. Amen. So honey, it's, what's the time? 10.30, so 11 o'clock. So I've got half an hour. All right, amen. So like I was saying, the Lord's really been ministering to me and taking me and leading me through a bit of a journey in the early starts of this year. And one thing He's been talking to me about is He's been trying to teach me how to live carefree. He's been trying to teach me how to live free from the cares of this world. And you know, fear and worry and anxiety, they're part of daily life, but how many of you guys know they're not fruits of the Spirit? Fear and worry and anxiety, they're fruits of our flesh, if anything, amen? And so God's been really teaching me and leading me on this journey about how to live free, how to live carefree. And not careless, not just taking careless chances and doing things willy-nilly, but living carefree, allowing Him to be the author of my story, allowing Him when those things maybe don't go the way that I thought they should go in my mind, allowing Him to work them together for good, and me staying in a place of rest and carefree from those things that maybe I don't have control over. Amen. So God's really been leading me on this journey about living carefree. And I believe this morning that He wants to bring freedom to the house of the Lord. You guys believe that? You guys wanna receive that this morning? So like I said, worry, anxiety, and fear, they're not fruits of the Spirit. And I believe that God through His Word is wanting today to really bring some light to some of those things that maybe are causing undue stress, anxiety, worry, those things of this world, the cares of this world that, and the Bible teaches us, that try and choke the Word of God in our lives. You know, all those things do. When we look at the cares of this world and those things that distract us, all they're trying to do is choke God's Word in our life. They're getting us to look away from His promises, look away from His goodness, and keep our eyes fixed on earthly and temporal and carnal things. And God wants us to shift our focus to Him so that we can live in that state of rest and be carefree. Amen? Amen. So God desires that we live carefree because He knows that the cares of this life will cripple the call of God. The cares of this life will cripple the call of God. Because if you're so focused on the things of this world, how can you fulfill the things of God? Amen. And God is gracious and he will walk us through that. And his timing is perfect and he redeems all things. But I don't know about you, but I don't wanna delay God's promises in my life. I wanna be in them right now, hallelujah. I wanna be walking in them right now. I wanna be fulfilling the call of God right now for my life. And I believe I am, but I believe I can do it better. And I believe I can do that through being carefree. Amen. You guys believe that? And Jesus actually taught a lot about this to his disciples. It was actually a theme that ran through a lot of his gospels. We're gonna look at the scripture in Matthew in a minute. And he really tried to teach his disciples, like he said, in this world, you will have trouble, but be of good cheer because I have overcome the world. And he gives us the problem and the solution in the same verse. He says, the world is the problem, but I am the answer. That's the answer. Amen. He says, the world's gonna give you trouble, but be of good cheer because I've overcome the world. So nothing you face in this world is greater or more significant than Jesus Christ. Everything will bow the knee to Him. Everything takes second place to Him. He's the name above every other name, hallelujah. Come on, amen, amen. So God's word encourages us that even though we live in a fallen world with the same challenges of life that everyone faces, we do, even as Christians, it doesn't mean we're immune to the struggles and the challenges of this world. If anything, now we've got a target on our back and we're coming against it even more. I mean, there's things in my life that I never even cared about until I became a Christian. Now all of a sudden I'm facing opposition like every day. It's like, man, if I was just doing that, I didn't even think about these things. But that's a good thing. That's called the Holy Spirit. That's called God's word in my heart, written on the tablet of my heart, showing me a new and a better and a living way. But the trap that the enemy gets us into is that he gets us to now overcome those things in our strength rather than his. So the things of this world will still come, the challenges will still come, but now you and I have a greater covenant, a better promise, and a Holy Spirit that gives us His grace and His ability to overcome those challenges, amen? So we got like a trump card. So we face those same challenges, but we've been given the ability through the Word and the Holy Spirit to live a life free from cares and full of abundance and joy. Amen? So I wanna have a look at this word carefree in the original language in the Hebrew. So I think we've got it up here. So the word carefree, and it's the Hebrew word shalev. And it's actually the word, it comes from the word shalom. You guys heard of the word shalom, which is the word peace, but not just peace like we know it, peace that God gives, the peace of God. This is a peace that surpasses understanding. This is a place of rest. It's a place of trust. So the word carefree comes from the root word peace, and its definition is quiet or at ease. It's the complete opposite to peace. turmoil and worry and anxiety. So you and I through the Holy Spirit have been given this, this shalev, this carefree nature through God, because how many of y'all know that God's not worried? And the same God that sits on the throne is the same God that sits on the throne of your heart. Amen. And God's not worried about it. You can't do anything or go through anything that worries or surprises God. It's not like God's up there, turns to Jesus and says, oh, didn't see that one coming. No, he's made a way of escape, hallelujah. He works all things together for good, hallelujah. But you gotta believe that. You gotta let that be written on the tablet of your heart, amen? Amen, so let's look at Matthew 6, 25 to 33 together. Therefore I say to you, so this is Jesus speaking to the multitudes. He says, therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink. Nor about your body or what you will put on. Is life not more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Man, let that sink in. Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. Yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knows." that you need all these things. And verse 33, my favourite scripture in the whole Bible, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things shall be added unto you. Amen. So God is teaching us in these scriptures that we're to live carefree from the worries of this world, from the cares of this world, about the trivial things of this world. And it says, not only are we to live carefree from it, we're to be such a place of ease or quietness or at rest shall love, That we understand that God meets those needs. He takes care of those needs. He provides those needs. He supplies those needs for us. And our job is not to fret or worry or be concerned about them. It's to simply trust that our Heavenly Father knows and has provided. Amen. Now that's easier said than done, isn't it? That's easier said than done. Amen. And I get that. So, But how many of you all would agree with me, and we're gonna go on a journey of how we can get to this place of carefree today, and I've only got a little bit of time to do it, but how many of you would agree with me that God desires us to live carefree? Yeah, He desires that for us, right? That's His heart for us as a loving Father. And as a dad, that's my heart for my kids. If I could take every worry, every stress off them, I certainly would. But I'm not God, God is and He has through Jesus Christ, amen. So the first step to living carefree is that, and like I said, I'm gonna take you on a journey and there's steps here. But one of the first steps that I believe in us living carefree is that we have to understand that God is not mad, upset, or even disappointed in us. Because if you don't believe that, then you won't believe His goodness and His provision for your life. If you don't believe that He's pleased with you, that He's not mad at you, that He's not disappointed in you, then you won't be able to believe that He's gonna provide for all your needs. There'll be a tiny bit of doubt in there that just says, oh, but maybe God won't, maybe because maybe I'm not worthy, maybe like, whatever that is. So you have to believe that God is not mad, not upset, or even disappointed in you. Amen. And we're gonna go through a journey on this because I believe that in order to unlock this carefree life, we have to understand the nature and the love of our Father. We have to understand how He sees us, what He thinks about us, what He says over us, the promises that He's given to us. And we know that Scripture says that if you've seen Jesus, you've seen the Father. Amen. So we know that in all things, Jesus is the exact representation of God and we can't know God without Jesus. Jesus shows us the Father. Amen. So Jesus shows him as our loving Father, and he is invested in our wellbeing more than we are. And if he cares for the birds and the flowers, how much more will he care for you? Look, if he cares for the birds and the flowers and you're made in his image, You're his beloved. You're the one he sent his son Jesus to die for. And he's looking after lilies and birds. How much more will he take care of you? You're his beloved. You're accepted. You're chosen. You're anointed. You've been touched by the Holy Spirit. You're filled with his anointing, his power, his dunamis authority. You've been given all authority with the name of Jesus. Man, you're his chosen vessel. Amen, I'm a dirty vessel, but he fills me and makes me clean, hallelujah, thank you, Jesus. One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is 2 Corinthians, and it says that we have this treasure, Christ, in these earthen vessels, so that the excellence of glory may be not of ourselves, but of him, amen. So God humbly dwells within us so that he can be the one that gets all the glory, amen. Thank you, Jesus. That still boggles my mind. It completely boggles my mind. So the first thing I wanted to talk about, like I said, is understanding this idea that God's not mad, not upset, or even disappointed in us. And I believe that one of the first steps we need to do is we need to be free from condemnation. Free from condemnation. Now stay with me because... You're probably like, oh, I've heard this message before. But Caitlin said in Team Huddle this morning that this word is alive and active and it's sharper than any two-edged sword. And if you've heard it before, God will still quicken something new to you again today. Maybe I'm not under condemnation. No, you're not. But listen today because I think God wants to give us something new and fresh that's gonna unlock some things in our hearts and help us live in this place of being carefree. Amen? So stay with me, stay with me. So like I said, God is not disappointed in you. He's not judging you. All judgment was placed on Jesus. And if you've put your faith in Jesus, God has redeemed you, sanctified you and made you holy. And just as Jesus is, so are you right now. Amen. But there is one thing that I have seen take out more Christians and destroy more callings. And that thing is condemnation. I believe that the enemy uses condemnation to hold us down, to keep us in a state of unworthiness, to disqualify us from the things of God. And get us into a place where we no longer look to what God says about us, but we're so focused on the things we've done wrong or the things that have come with us from our past. And condemnation is an absolute weapon of the enemy to keep us out from fulfilling our calling. Amen. And in my early walk with God, I actually really struggled with condemnation, just telling on myself a little bit. I came out of the world, I was 33 when I got saved, so I had a lot of world in me. And I was constantly, constantly coming to the Lord with a laundry list of all my things I'd done wrong. All these things that I needed to be forgiven for. And I kept bringing up this list of things with God. And so my prayer time was really quite self-loathing. And that's so not what God wants for us. That's not the gospel. That's not what Jesus paid a price to give us. But there was this sense of unworthiness. And I'd approach God with, like I said, with just this list, this laundry list of all these things. And I'd be like, I'm sorry, God. And thank you that you've forgiven me. And I just rehearsed this like all the time because it was just that guilt that was in my life. But... And what it would also do is it would cause me to kind of almost hide from God, you know, and a sense of shame. It would be like, because of these things, these laundry lists, this condemnation that was over me, it would be like, I'm not, I don't really wanna go to God because all I'm gonna do is tell him about my problems. And it made me hide from God. It made me pull back from God. But that's certainly not the gospel because the gospel says we can come boldly to his throne room, right? And receive his grace and be assured of our right standing with him. So what is condemnation? That's the first thing we're gonna look at. What is condemnation? So let's look at the Greek word here. And I know I'm teaching a little bit. Is this okay, guys? So the word condemnation is the Greek word krisis. And look at that. It's the English word crisis. It's the word where we get crisis from. That right there is a great revelation, because I don't know about you, but condemnation causes crisis. It causes a turmoil in my soul. It causes an uncertainty, an unrest. It gives me doubt. It makes me feel just, I don't know which way is up, which way is down. That's what condemnation does. And so it's interesting that we get the word crisis from the Greek word condemnation. And if we look at the outline of it in biblical use, it means a separating or a separation of. a sentence of condemnation, damnatory judgment, accusation, and or punishment. Sorry about the text there. So we see that biblically, it's a separation, right? Which to me, like let's just think about this logically right now, right? So if condemnation causes separation, then it can't be from God. Because why? Because it says that God reconciled us to Himself in the cross of Jesus Christ, in Jesus Christ. So condemnation can't be of God because it separates, but God does not separate, He reconciles. He brings back into right standing. So instantly we can see that condemnation is not of God, right? The condemnation there is, it's gotta be from some other source because God doesn't separate. He doesn't divide, He doesn't bring division. He reconciles, He brings back into right standing and He redeems things, doesn't He? Amen. So the greatest example that I've ever heard about condemnation, about the word condemnation or condemned is the illustration of like an old building that's being condemned, an old building that's no longer able to be lived in. And when it gets like that, do you know what they are saying about that building? They're saying that it's unhabitable, uninhabitable, thank you, and it's unfit for use. That's what that means. If they condemn in building, it means it's unfit for use, it's uninhabitable, it's condemned for use, you can't use it, amen. So if that's what that word means just in our vehicular, in our language, let's look at that again and let's say, well, is that God? No, because you're His dwelling place. You're the temple of the Holy Spirit. So just logically, it doesn't make sense that condemnation could come from God because God doesn't divide. He doesn't separate. He redeems and reconciles. And He doesn't declare you unfit for use. In fact, He makes you useful. He makes you now usable. He actually gets rid of all the things that made you unworthy and unfit and creates in you a new person, a new heart, a new creature and makes you now fit for use. He qualifies you now. Amen. And He dwells in you. But this is the greatest part. You're gonna love this, Mia. God has condemned some things, two things in fact. Anyone take a guess what the first one might be? Remember that word means separation, a separation, or separating. It means condemnation, defamatory judgment, accusation, and punishment. So anyone take a guess of what God has condemned? Just a guess. It's all right? Let's read Revelation 12 and 10 together. So this is the book of Revelation, chapter 12, verse 10, it says, That word cast down is actually the word condemned. So the one that accused us, that stood before God day and night and said, God, they're not worthy. You can't love them. You can't bless them. Look at what they've done because the law says that person has been condemned and that person is Satan. So God has condemned Satan and He says, no longer are you able to accuse the brethren. No longer are you able to bring about the faults and the things that they've done wrong and the mistakes they've made because I have redeemed them. So God condemns Satan. Not us, Satan. Man, just let that sit in. He has been cast down. The only one God has condemned or passed judgment on is Satan, the accuser of the brethren. John 16, 11 says that the prince or the ruler of this world, it says that he has been judged. And that's the same word condemned. Amen. So there was this thing that, so how come Satan could accuse us because of this thing called the law? And the Bible says that the law is the strength of sin. that because of the law, sin came alive in me. Because I didn't even, like I was saying earlier, right, before I got saved, I didn't even know that these things were sin. I was like, I was just living it. Just living in it, didn't have any thought about it, right? But then I knew the law and it got quickened in me and it came alive in me and then it produced death in me and that's when the condemnation came, right? That's when the accusations came. That's when the devil had a little inroad into my life to be like, oh, I know, what about the things you've done? You can't, you're not worthy before God. You're not accepted, you're not really accepted. It's just words on a page. You can't believe that. Little things like that, right? Because the law made that sin come alive. And then the Bible says that because of that sin, it caused death in me. I was dead in my trespasses and sins, right? And now what happens is a lot of Christians stay there. They don't realise that God has, A, condemned Satan, cast him down. But the second thing he's condemned, let's look at this in Romans 8 and 3. Check this out. For what the law could not do, that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. On the account of sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. Hallelujah. Woo-hoo. Oh man, somebody give Jesus praise, man. So the very thing that the enemy could use to hold against us, the very thing that we sometimes use to condemn ourselves, oh, we're not good enough, we don't measure up, we've fallen short, whatever it might look, it says that in Jesus, in the person of Jesus Christ, okay, you need to hear this. Are you listening? On the cross, Jesus did not just forgive your sin, He condemned it. He condemned it. He declared it unfit for use. The very thing that separated you from God, he condemned it in the person of Jesus Christ. That's some good news, folks. That's some good news, folks. That is some good news, Mia. Man. So two things God has condemned. Satan, the accuser of the brethren, and sin in the flesh of Jesus Christ. We are free from condemnation, church. No one should ever be living under that weight. The minute that you feel that, that condemnation or that unworthiness or that sense of being unacceptable, unable to come to God, you gotta recognise by the power of the Holy Spirit that that is not God. and that you have authority over that. If that's the enemy, if that's the accuser of the brethren, you take authority over that. And you recognize that you are a new creation in Christ and that sin no longer has dominion over you, no place in you, because it was condemned in the flesh of Jesus Christ, amen. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. So God threw our sins into the sea of forgetfulness as far as the East is from the West, right? And so God gave me this revelation one time. He gave me this picture and I'm sitting there and I'm in this place of condemnation. And I read Micah, Micah 7 and 19. And it says in Micah 7, it says that he will again have compassion on us and will subdue our iniquities and you will cast our sins into the depths of the sea. And God gave me this picture and he gave me this word and he said that, so many Christians like you, Jeremy, are hopping in your little rowing boat out into the sea of forgetfulness and taking your little fishing rod and fishing up your mistakes and showing them to me like they're trophy catchers. He said, I remember them no more, Jeremy. Stop bringing them up. Because remember I said I had that laundry list of things that I kept bringing to God and repenting of. He said, stop bringing them up, Jeremy. I don't see them anymore. I've forgotten about them. So stop rowing out here in your little boat with your little fishing rod, showing me your trophy catch. because I've forgotten all about Him, hallelujah. So by the Spirit of God this morning, Jesus does not see your mistakes, hallelujah. He does not see your faults, hallelujah. He does not care about those things that may be struggling in your life because He believes greater things for you, hallelujah. He sees greater things for you, hallelujah. He declares greater things over you, hallelujah. He speaks a better Word through the blood of Jesus, hallelujah. And you gotta believe that. You gotta write that on the tablet of your heart. And you gotta say, Holy Spirit, show me this truth. Because I'm not living in condemnation anymore. I'm free from condemnation. Hallelujah. Amen. So God has condemned Satan and sin, not you and I. So let's read John chapter three, starting in verse 16, the verse that we all know. And we're gonna go through to verse 19. And I'm gonna show you something. I'm gonna show you with the condemnation about why, so why is it, why do we have it? What's its purpose? Because God has condemned Satan and sin. It says, for God so loved the world, we know this scripture, that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. But have you read this, verse 17? For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but the world through Him might be saved. Verse 18, he who believes in Him is not condemned, He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son. And this is the condemnation. Let's look at this. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world And men love darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. So what is God showing us in the Scripture? He's showing us that the only condemnation that was ever designed, was ever thought of, was ever supposed to happen in this world was the condemnation of you not believing in the Son, not believing in Jesus Christ, not putting your faith in Jesus Christ. And the minute you believe in it, let's go back to verse 17. It says, no, verse 18, sorry. It says, the minute you believe, he who believes in Him is not condemned. Amen, amen, Jim, amen, Jim. It's as simple as that. It's as simple as that. So we have to understand that God is not mad, not disappointed, or even upset at us. In fact, He delights over you with singing and dancing. He's given you His name, He's given you His Spirit, He's given you His Son, He's given you the blood, He's given you everything that pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him. And we just have to renew our minds to that truth and that place of understanding and walk free from this understanding that God has condemned Satan. He's condemned sin in the flesh of Jesus. And you and I are not condemned or declared unfit for use, but we are declared qualified and called for the anointing of God to rest upon us and for us to fulfil everything that God has planned and destined for our lives. Amen. That was a mouthful, but it was really good. Amen. Hallelujah. So as a born again Christian, someone who has put their faith in Jesus and his work on the cross, we can never be condemned. God has, past tense, condemned sin and everything the devil could ever hold of us. He has done it through the person of Jesus because he loved you so much. And the only people going to a devil's hell are those who choose it by rejecting Jesus. That's as simple as it comes. Jesus is the light. He's coming to the world, but people reject him because they choose to go after the other things. They love the darkness more than they love the light. So God's not sending anybody to hell. People are choosing to go there because they're rejecting the light. Amen. So that's the only people that can ever be condemned. And God's heart is not for them to be condemned. The Bible teaches us that He wishes that none shall perish, but all come to repentance, right? That everyone be saved. We saw it in verse 16 and 17. God so loved the world that He gave His Son that whoever believes in Him would not die, but have everlasting life. And then He says, God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but that through Him they might be saved. So we know God's heart is not to condemn anybody, but people choose it. It's their choice. Amen. God's a good God. He's not mad. He's not upset. He's not disappointed in any of us. And we are free from all condemnation and all accusation. Amen. So in Romans 8, we're gonna finish here. Romans 8, verses 1, 2, and 3. Jim, this is the one for you, my friend. Jim said this was his favorite scripture to me this morning. Amen. It says in Romans 8, verse 1. Is this good? You guys... Yeah, come on. Yeah, thank you, brother. I appreciate that, man. Not that I need the applause, but I really just wanted you guys to get this this morning. I really felt God's heart this morning to bring freedom to this area of us and our walk with the Lord. And perhaps I don't know everybody's position in here. I don't know all their heart posture in here. I think, I'm not gonna assume anything, but today, if you don't know the Lord, oh my goodness. Receive Him. Receive Him. Invite Him into your heart. The only thing that God's ever condemned is Satan and sin, and He wants to give you freedom today through the blood of His Son. So Romans 8 verses one through three. Say it with me, church. There is therefore now no condemnation That word according means focused on or depending on. So condemnation comes when we start to focus on our flesh or depend on our flesh. But if we focus on Jesus and we depend on Jesus, There's no place for condemnation. Amen. A lot of people get hung up on that Scripture, but it's really simple, that word, according to the flesh, just depending on. Don't depend on your flesh. Don't depend on your natural man. Depend on Jesus, amen. There's no condemnation. For the law of the Spirit of the life in Christ Jesus, say it with me, has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do and that it was weak through the flesh, God did. Someone say God did it. God did it, hallelujah. By sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and on account of sin, He condemned sin in the flesh. If you have placed your faith in Jesus, you are free from all condemnation and then you are no longer unfit for use. Amen. You are the Creator's masterpiece. created in righteousness and true holiness, amen. Woo, accepted in the beloved, chosen, anointed and called. Just go read Ephesians chapter one, it'll set your life on fire. You are now God's dwelling place, His holy temple. Oh Jesus, thank You. Thank You, Jesus. Hallelujah. I'm gonna invite the prayer ministry team up, Paddy, Claire, Pastor Tina. Thank you, Jesus. I'm gonna invite you guys up. And I just really feel this morning as the team just kind of ministers to us through song, I really feel this morning that some of you might need just some partnership in prayer this morning. Maybe you've been living under this weight of condemnation and this morning you've received the revelation and your heart has been touched by the truth of God's Word and you just wanna solidify that in prayer with someone. Maybe you just wanna come up and just have a partner in prayer. Maybe it's got nothing to do with this message and you just need some prayer. Hallelujah, come on up. That's what our team is here for. They're here to partner with you, add their faith to your faith. Where two or three are gathered, He is in the midst, amen. Or maybe you don't know the Lord and this morning the Holy Spirit has just quickened to you, has just shown you this truth about how God has condemned Satan, the accuser, and condemned sin in the flesh of His Son, Jesus. And today you have to say, I need that. I need to be free. I need to accept Jesus. I need to give my life to Him. And if that's you, I invite you to come up and get some prayer as well. Because this morning, I just truly believe that God brought freedom to the house. Do you guys believe that with me this morning? Do you guys believe that God is unchained and unshackled and brought freedom to us this morning through this Word? I believe it. I truly believe it. And I believe that you all received the revelation today of just how loved you are, how accepted you are, and how free you are from all condemnation. And that God's heart is never to condemn, but to reconcile and restore and redeem and make righteous and holy and pure in His sight. And He's done that through the blood of Jesus. Amen. Amen. So we're just gonna have a time of ministry this morning. Amen. Thank you for tuning in to today's message. To connect or find out more, you can reach us online at worldchangers.life. Remember to subscribe for more uplifting messages from our pastoral team, and may you continue to walk in faith and transformation until we meet again.